A Hyuuga in Lord Sesshomaru's Court
by cmsully
Summary: As she fell through that abandoned well, Hinata could hear these words ringing through her head: "An enemy of our world is about to descend onto yours. Help the Western Lord defend his lands, and in the process learn how to fight the spider. Only then will you be returned to your world." She never expected that pursuing her foes would lead to something like this...
1. Prologue

*I don't own Naruto, InuYasha, or any of their characters

* * *

_You wish for the power to control the world._

Opening his eyes upon hearing the smooth voice, the man who called himself Madara Uchiha gazed upon the unfamiliar dreamscape. He was standing in the courtyard of a dark, decrepit castle whose doors had rotted away. Glancing around quickly, he noticed an odd purple mist surrounding him which reminded him of Sasori's various poisons.

Narrowing his eyes, he looked back towards the castle and called out, "And what if I do?"

_I can give you that power, if you so choose._

"I have no need of it. My Eye of the Moon Plan shall be executed once the last two Tailed Beasts are under my control."

_Ah, but what if the two Jinchuuriki fail to succumb to you? What then?_

Staring defiantly back at the castle doorway where the voice obviously came from, the masked dreamer nonetheless pondered the strange voice's question. While it was an unlikely possibility, he wouldn't put it past the Uzumaki brat to find a way to foil his ultimate plan. He had, after all, that annoying knack to overcome incredible odds.

Finally, after several moments of contemplation, he replied, "And what concern is it of yours?"

A deep chuckle resounded throughout the area. _You are very clever, human. I can see that I have made the right choice._ Suddenly, a pair of red eyes appeared within the castle doorway as the voice continued, _You see, thanks to the actions of an accursed woman, I have been trapped here for several years. I have found a way to escape, however I require some blood that is freely given… a building block, if you will. Since I do not wish to be trapped here once more, I searched long and wide for a place where she and others like her cannot get to… leading me to you._

"And how do you know the woman who originally trapped you cannot do so once again?"

_The answer is simple- she resides in a different world._

"A different world?" mused the shinobi. "Is there such a thing?"

_Yes. The only positive to this damnable situation is that it has allowed me to discover that there are actually many worlds, with many different beings inhabiting them._ Seemingly anticipating the next question, the voice continued, _I chose to come to you with my offer because you, and by extension your world, are the best choice. Your world is filled with many beings of power, much like my former home, and I feel that I would do well there._

"So… you say that you need some blood freely given, and called it a building block. If I may ask, what would you be building?"

The eyes blinked, then slanted in amusement. _A new body. My old one had been destroyed, and I find that I am in need of a new one if I am to escape this wretched dimension._

"Hmm… if I decide to provide what you need, what then do I receive in exchange?" came the shrewd question.

_If you decide to accept my offer, once I am freed of this place I shall offer you an alliance. Anytime that you have need of me, I shall be there._

Suddenly, a tentacle that was obviously carrying something came out of the castle doors. As it traveled towards the dreamer, the voice stated,_ Take this, and when the time comes simply make sure that the blood is upon it. _When it reached its destination, the tentacle turned upside down to reveal a sealed scroll.

Taking the scroll, the man who started a war realized something. "Who are you?"

_Much like you, I have been called by many names. _As the world around the dreamer suddenly faded, the voice finished,_ However, you may call me Naraku._

As the shinobi awoke, he was surprised to find the scroll that the being called Naraku had given him was clutched in his hand. Reluctant to allow the small item to fall into anyone else's hands, he decided to keep it on his person at all times… just in case he needed it.

* * *

The priestess and the daiyoukai sat next to each other as they witnessed the meeting between the two villains.

"How can we stop this?" asked the horrified priestess, who was once known as Kikyo.

The daiyoukai, who in life was known by the title Inu no Taisho, frowned as he tried to think of a solution. Not too long ago, the mother of his youngest pup had entered the cycle of reincarnation, leaving him alone in the afterlife. While he could still watch over her (which gave him the added bonus of allowing him to check in on his eldest- he couldn't help but laugh hysterically at that twist of fate), he nonetheless had found himself wishing for some company. Therefore, when the first love of his youngest arrived in this plane for the second time, he found himself offering to accompany her until she was reincarnated once more. She accepted, and the two had been traveling together ever since.

Finally, the actions of his companion's reincarnation sprang into mind. "What of the Bone-Eater's Well?"

"What of it?"

"Didn't your reincarnation use it to travel through times? What if we rig it so that it connects to this world, instead? Then, should that human summon Naraku into his world, someone from ours can travel there to defeat Naraku."

The priestess mused over this possibility. "It might work… however, who would we send? Inuyasha and Kagome are expecting their first child, so they can't do it."

"What of the monk and slayer that accompanied them?"

"They're expecting their fourth child."

"Hmm… the Kitsune kit is still too young and weak to face him alone… the Ookami is too busy with his own family… my eldest, while ordinarily a fine choice, cannot be the one to take on Naraku thanks to the unstable situation between the North and West… we can't leave this plane unless it is our time to do so… this is really bad," the daiyoukai realized, horror briefly appearing in his voice.

"If I may make a suggestion?" entered a third feminine voice.

The two companions glanced towards where they had heard the voice… and promptly fell on their knees and bowed their heads. After all, one must always show the proper respect to Lady Amaterasu.

Kikyo was the first to speak as she asked, "If it pleases you, my Lady, what is your suggestion to this problem?"

Amaterasu smiled at this request, which had the added bonus of hiding her anger towards Naraku. When Kagome had finally made the correct wish upon the Jewel, the gods decided that rather than sending the spider hanyou to Hell and risk him turning into a spirit like Sō'unga, instead Naraku would be imprisoned in a dimension that cut him off from all other beings, whether they be living, dead, or in-between. After all, while the bandit Onigumo merely wanted Kikyo's love, the hanyou Naraku had wanted power and had no qualms about absorbing others to do so… in the process forcing him to require interaction with other beings.

Indeed, that was the true weakness of Naraku- he was dependent on others to sustain his power. Find a way to isolate him, and he became so weak that even an ordinary human warrior would be able to defeat him. Unfortunately, however, he still carried a certain amount of power that was granted to him by those who feasted on Onigumo's soul… which was undoubtedly what had allowed Naraku to find the loophole that is required in any situation.

Shaking her head minutely, the goddess turned her attention back towards the two who had given the gods the inspiration they needed to find the solution to the Naraku problem.

"Instead of sending someone there through the Well, why don't we bring someone from there here?" she simply answered.

The two deceased souls' minds jolted at the mention of this third possibility. While the daiyoukai _had_ briefly considered it, he knew that it had been outside of their capabilities to do such a thing. After all, that would require making the new world the 'home' world, rather than the 'destination' world… which was a daunting task, even for two beings of he and his companion's caliber.

Before he could point this out, however, Amaterasu trumped him by stating, "Of course, we kami will give you the necessary power to accomplish this. After all, we are quite aware of both of your limits."

Eyebrows furrowing, the Inu no Taisho inquired, "Did you and the other kami already have someone in mind?"

Nodding, Amaterasu replied, "Yes. A young female who is in love with the younger of the masked man's targets. For a long time, she had been incredibly self-conscious about herself… however, she has slowly but surely been finding her own inner strength. She will be perfect for our needs… and for your son's needs, as well."

"What do you mean?"

"War is about to come to Sesshomaru, and thanks to certain actions of the Northern Dragons he will soon find that his strength alone is not enough. He will approach Inuyasha for help, only to be rightfully turned down. After all, it is the sacred duty of a parent to protect their child, even if they're not born yet. This is where our champion will come in, for she has inherited a certain ability that will be crucial to this upcoming war."

The two companions looked at each other, then looked back at the goddess.

"So… you want to bring this girl over to our world so that she may learn what she can about Naraku, and in the process help Lord Sesshomaru defend his lands. Is that right, my Lady?" clarified Kikyo.

"That's right. I'll leave it up to you two to come up with a way to explain the situation to her, however."

"Well, then," stated the Inu no Taisho, rubbing his hands together, "What are we waiting for? Let's prepare her way!"

* * *

A/N: Yep, I started a crossover starring Hinata Hyuuga and Lord Sesshomaru! I'm going to come right out and say this: No, I will NOT be pairing her with Sesshomaru, I just think that the two of them would have an adorable friendship.


	2. Chapter 1

*I don't own InuYasha, Naruto, or any of their characters.

* * *

The rain fell steadily as hundreds upon hundreds of feet thundered forward.

All of their owners had one destination- the battlefield where their enemy was facing the Jinchuuriki of the Nine-Tailed Fox, Naruto Uzumaki. Spurred on by the leader of the Intelligence Division's declaration that he, alongside his fellow Jinchuuriki and two of his teachers, had pushed the false Madara back, the Second and Fifth Divisions of the Allied Shinobi Forces were heartened by Naruto's ability to once again seemingly do what no one else had done before.

One kunoichi in particular couldn't wait to reach their destination. The one who had always loved the blond prankster, even when he was hated by the rest of their village. She, who shared his nindo of never going back on her word.

_Naruto_, thought Hinata Hyuuga, _I've always... always been chasing after you… even now. But… once this war ends, I'm going to stop once and for all._ Lips pursed in determination, she continued, _Next time, I'll be next to you, holding your hand… walking __**with **__you!_ Hoping her thoughts could reach the boy… no, the man she loved, she pleaded silently, _Wait for me!_

Suddenly, an explosion of mud and rocks appeared right in front of the two Divisions. As they skidded to a halt, the familiar white forms of their enemies started to climb out of the crater.

"Not again!" groaned Kiba Inuzuka. Hinata couldn't help but agree with her teammate as she immediately activated her Byakugan. Soon enough, they were once again engaged in battle.

As several of the White Zetsus started to break off from the rest of the pack, someone shouted, "Don't let them get away!"

"On it!" Hinata called back as she finished off her current foe. As she pursued the fleeing enemies into the surrounding forest, she could see Neji, Kiba, and Akamaru running to join her. "You know, you don't have to do this," she commented with a small smile, using her Byakugan to enable her to continue looking forward.

Predictably, it was a grinning Kiba who answered, "What kind of a teammate would I be if I let you go off on your own?" Akamaru barked his agreement while Neji just gave her a look that spoke volumes of his feelings on the matter.

Hinata felt a small warmth ignite in her heart at this, and doubled her speed, knowing her cousin and teammates would easily keep up with her. The four of them caught up with their foes in a clearing that appeared to be empty except for an old, rotting well. Kiba and Akamaru sped up and started to circle around the small clearing, hoping to trap their prey. Sensing this, their enemies stopped trying to escape and prepared to battle against the four of them.

There were several brief moments where the two sides waited for the other to make a move.

"Well," the ever-impatient Kiba finally roared, "what are you waiting for?"

* * *

Kagome Higurashi, the pregnant mate of the hanyou Inuyasha, tossed and turned as she dreamed of the oddest standoff.

On one side stood two boys, a girl with a startling similarity to the elder of the previous two, and a large white dog who stood at the side of the younger boy. On the other, strange white beings that vaguely reminded her of Naraku's puppets.

As her dream-self stood a distance away, her eyebrows furrowed together as she tried to think of why she would be dreaming such a thing. Granted, thanks to her pregnancy her miko powers were acting strangely… however, this still seemed extremely bizarre, even for her (and that was saying something).

Suddenly, she felt a tug on her soul that she had not felt since before the final battle against Naraku. Turning around, she gasped to see the one whose soul she shared walking towards her.

"Kikyo?" she exclaimed.

The elder priestess smiled at her reincarnation. "Hello, Kagome," she greeted.

Realizing that this was no ordinary dream, Kagome stared as Kikyo eventually stood next to her. What was going on? Why would Kikyo be contacting her from beyond the grave?

"Kagome… how aware are you of the current situation between the North and the West?" came the sudden question, along with one of Kikyo's famous sidelong glances.

Confused, the girl who had once traveled through time answered, "Uh… I know that things are tense between the two, and that they may soon go to war. However, what does that have to do with what's going on here?"

As the two sides suddenly rushed towards each other, Kikyo answered, "Everything." Turning completely towards the younger, she stated, "We are currently standing in the near future of another world… where Naraku is planning on breaking free of the dimension that the gods themselves imprisoned him in."

Kagome stiffened with shock and horror at these words. "Naraku? Didn't… didn't he vanish along with the Jewel? " she finally stammered out.

"When you wished the Jewel out of existence, you freed all of the souls trapped within… which unfortunately included Naraku. The gods had decided that rather than him going to Hell and risk him turning into a spirit like So'unga, Naraku would instead be imprisoned in a specially-created dimension cut off from any of the worlds he was familiar with," explained the elder priestess. "Unfortunately, Naraku found a way to escape… by using this world's gifts, he intends to establish a new existence here."

The pregnant priestess fumed at this. "Damn that Naraku!" she growled, sounding almost identical to her mate in that moment. "Why can't he just stay defeated?"

Kikyo patted her reincarnation's shoulder sympathetically. "Indeed, Naraku has never been one to accept defeat… however, the gods are now angered by his arrogance, and have come up with a plan to stop him." Inclining her head towards the only other female on the battlefield, who was sending several of her foes flying with a strange spinning move that Kagome had never seen before, she continued, "And that plan is her."

"Her?" Kagome parroted, studying the girl more closely now. The girl, with veins now protruding next to her strange eyes, battled with a grace that Kagome had only seen before in Sesshomaru… not that she'd ever mention that to her brother-in-law. However, despite her skills, the pregnant woman could definitely tell that she wasn't ready to take on someone of Naraku's caliber yet. "How is she the gods' answer to Naraku?"

"The man she loves is threatened by the man Naraku plans on using, and by extension Naraku himself."

"Ah," breathed an enlightened Kagome, recalling how it was his love for her that had led her mate to fight his way through the Shikon Jewel in order to find her. Frowning suddenly, she asked, "But… how will she be able to face that stupid spider? While she's skilled, she's unfortunately not at his level yet."

A new voice, deep and masculine, entered the conversation as it said, "That is where Sesshomaru, Kikyo, and I come in."

Spinning, Kagome immediately gawked at the sight of the handsome male standing there. She had seen him once before, back when So'unga had been sent to the Underworld where it belonged and a proud father had appeared before his two sons…

"I-Inu no Taisho?" At her shocked exclamation, her unborn baby's aura flared for the first time in welcome, seemingly recognizing its own kin.

The daiyoukai smiled at this, and despite her love for Inuyasha Kagome could instantly see why Izayoi had fallen for this male. He really was too handsome for his own good… vaguely, she wondered when she had developed Miroku-like tendencies before brushing them all off to the side. This was no time for thinking these sort of things.

"My son will be facing powerful foes in the upcoming war against the Dragons," he began, "and soon he'll find that he needs help if he's going to defeat them."

Confused, Kagome asked, "Why would _Sesshomaru_ need help? He's the strongest youkai I've ever known!"

Frowning, the father of her mate answered, "Because they have developed attacks that young Hinata," nodding towards the female warrior, "will, thanks to those eyes of hers, be able to counter with ease."

"How?"

"Watch this attack closely," he ordered, "and then tell me what you sense from it."

Obeying, she watched Hinata seemingly shoot a column of air out of her hand with not only her sight, but her miko powers as well. What she felt was one of the most surprising things of all.

"It's like when Inuyasha and I combine an attack- she's using both youki _and_ reiki," she breathed.

"Exactly," rumbled the Inu no Taisho. "All of the humans on this world have this same strange combination, although there are some who are more in tune with either the youki or reiki aspects of it- they call it yin chakra and yang chakra, respectively."

"Hinata's clan, the Hyuugas, have a special birth trait," Kikyo interjected, smoothly taking over from the daiyoukai. "They call it the Byakugan- whenever the veins surrounding their eyes are visible, they can see anything they wish to see… including _where_ their foes' 'chakra' exits the body."

Kagome was speechless at the implications of Kikyo's words. If this Hinata Hyuuga had eyes that could see where youki or reiki exits the body, and her skills were needed to combat attacks that the Dragons had developed, that meant…

"The Dragons have figured out how to seal youki, haven't they?"

"And not just youki, but reiki as well," growled the daiyoukai, displeasure at his longtime enemies evident in his voice. "Those infernal lizards don't know that you're pupped, so they wanted to be sure that they had something to counteract your potential involvement in the war."

Kagome shuddered at that, unpleasant memories of Magatsuhi surfacing. "How did they figure it out?"

"They had help from a witch, I believe," answered Kikyo. As the deceased priestess shuddered lightly, Kagome knew that Kikyo was thinking of the witch Urasue who had brought her back to a half-life and forced the priestess to absorb other's souls in order to endure.

As the two priestesses shook their heads to get rid of the unpleasant memories, the Inu no Taisho decided to take pity on the two and drew the conversation back towards the young Hyuuga female. "Now, I'm sure you're wondering how Hinata is going to travel to our world, mate of my youngest."

Turning back towards the powerful male, Kagome cocked her head slightly in inquiry. Seeing this, Kikyo was pulled out of her own slump as she couldn't help but giggle at how much her reincarnation was acting like… well, a dog.

The Inu no Taisho smirked at this sight, and continued, "The path that Hinata shall travel is right here in this very clearing… and it's a path that I'm sure you're _very_ familiar with."

Looking around, Kagome soon spotted the object he was speaking about. "Oh, don't tell me…" she groaned.

"That's right- she's going to come through the Bone Eater's Well," the daiyoukai told her, amusement filling his voice.

Kikyo suppressed her latest bit of amusement at Kagome's grumble (she could hear the words 'gods' and 'no sense of creativity' scattered throughout) as she explained, "This is where you come in, Kagome. You'll need to explain to her about the Well, its use… and what we have told you here."

"Kikyo and I will eventually contact her ourselves, similar to how we're contacting you," the Inu no Taisho rumbled. "There, we will instruct her on the finer points of youki and reiki that she cannot get in her world. However, it is Sesshomaru who must teach her how the spider operates, and how exactly to fight against him."

The pregnant miko sighed. Life had been going so peacefully, too… "What is Inuyasha's role in all of this?"

"Inuyasha needs to protect the village- after all, Sesshomaru won't be able to fight while worrying about Rin's safety, and the village would be a good place to hide the rest of the children, as well," answered his father.

At this, Kagome raised an eyebrow. "And how would _you_ know of Rin, and her importance to Sesshomaru?"

Chuckling in a way that she was sure he was thinking about some inside joke, he rumbled, "_That_ is a question that can wait until peace falls upon the West once more."

Eyes narrowing suspiciously, Kagome nonetheless let it slide. "Okay… so, when exactly am I supposed to expect Hinata?"

"Within the next couple of days," answered Kikyo.

As the world around them started to fade, Kagome could very faintly hear her beloved's voice calling out to her.

"It is time for you to wake, miko," stated the Inu no Taisho. "Remember what we have told you here."

As Kagome nodded her acknowledgement, Kikyo added, "And tell Inuyasha that I'm glad he's finally gotten what he's always wanted with you- a family."

Kagome smiled a brilliant smiled as she promised, "I will, Kikyo, you can be sure of that!"

As the two who had intruded upon her dream faded away, Kagome had a thought suddenly occur to her: why was Inuyasha's father with Kikyo?

Once they had contacted Hinata, she decided, she was _so_ going to get the girl to ask them for her...

Decided, she opened her eyes to see her mate hovering over her anxiously.

"Oi, what was happening to you?" he demanded. "You were tossing and turning, and your aura was fluctuating so badly I wouldn't be surprised if my ass of a half-brother showed up to find out what's wrong with you!"

Smiling, the miko sat up and hugged her mate tightly to reassure him. Once they separated enough for her to look at his face, she began, "Well, Inuyasha, I was just having a chat with Kikyo and your father…"

* * *

A/N: Okay, I can just sense some questions coming my way about the chakra-youki/reiki thing I have established, so here's my explanation:

Hinata (along with everyone else in the Narutoverse) will technically be able to use both youki and reiki, for their chakra is a mix of both. Some of the shinobi, however, are more in tune with either the youki aspects (like Sasuke- seriously, check out the episode/chapter where Karin notices his changed chakra as he's attacking the Five Kage Summit and tell me that does NOT look like an inner beast) or the reiki aspects (like Naruto- again, I'm going to use Karin as an example here. When she first meets Naruto, she notices that, other than the presence of Kurama, his chakra is warm and bright- similar to how Kagome's reiki is described as being in many fanfics).


	3. Chapter 2

*I don't own Naruto, InuYasha, or any of their characters.

**Warning: **Slight spoilers ahead, especially regarding Tobi's identity!

* * *

Hinata breathed heavily from slight chakra depletion as she once again blasted her enemies away. Taking advantage of her momentary break, she surveyed the rest of the battlefield.

Neji seemed to be doing just fine, she thought as she watched him block several Zetsus using the Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven. As he finished, he caught her watching him, and gave her a confident smirk as he nodded at her.

A small smile graced her face as Hinata nodded back, then looked for the two others who had accompanied her. Her heart chilled when she found them.

Kiba and Akamaru were badly outnumbered. More Zetsus must've arrived while all four of them had been fighting, and unlike before the newcomers apparently had the idea of finishing them off one by one rather than facing them all at the same time. Akamaru's fur was stained with blood, and Kiba had a cut on his forehead that was dripping into one of his eyes. Both were panting heavily, obviously suffering from at least the same amount of chakra depletion as she was.

Without a word, Hinata rushed to help her teammates. Unbeknownst to her, however, one of the Zetsus saw her… one with a strange gleam in its eye.

Stealthily, so stealthily that not even its supposed comrades saw it, this particular Zetsu drew near its target. Step… step… there!

The female Hyuuga jumped, intent on landing by her comrades' sides. However, she was stunned when she was intercepted by one of the Zetsus. She started to thrust her hand forward, intent on blasting it away.

Surprisingly, however, this particular Zetsu seemed to realize her intent and grabbed her by the wrist. As Hinata's eyes widened with surprise, it proceeded to launch a powerful kick into her side.

"HINATA!" shouted Kiba and Neji as she flew towards the old well that, until now, had been disregarded by everyone on the battlefield. The speed that the Hyuuga traveled was too fast for her to stop herself from slamming into one of its inner walls.

Pain erupted all along her back, enough that Hinata was momentarily too stunned to prevent herself from falling down the dark, dank hole.

_This is going to hurt_, she couldn't help but think as she fell towards the bottom. However, as soon as she thought those words, something happened… something she could only call _odd_.

Violet streams of light started to cradle her body as the walls of the well slowly faded into a blue space speckled with white star-like lights. Gasping, Hinata saw the violet streams start to flow towards the top of the well just as Kiba's face peered over the edge. As his eyes widened, the streams proceeded to curve inward, blocking the two teammates from each other.

"_HINATA!_"

* * *

The Zetsu that had delivered the fateful kick shook its head as its mind was finally its own again. What had just happened?

One minute, he had been responding to the distress signal of its comrades that were facing this four being squad, then the next… _something_ took over its mind.

It wasn't Obito, it knew. Obito, out of respect for how the original White Zetsus had taken care of him as he recovered from the loss of most of his right side, rarely took advantage of his Sharingan to manipulate the newer generations of White Zetsus… it knew this thanks to the shared memories of all the Whites. Madara would without a moment's hesitation, but not Obito. He really _was_ a good boy, as the Black Zetsu once mentioned to the senior White Zetsu.

Confused, it started to scratch its head. What _was_ that presence that had seemed so interested in that girl? She didn't seem like much…

Too bad for this particular Zetsu, however, an enranged Kiba took advantage of its confusion to decapitate it. As its head fell towards the ground, it suddenly had the answer it was looking for.

The last feeling it had was pity for Obito. If the poor boy should open that scroll, he'll be dead… and not by the hands of the gods that had used the Zetsu to push destiny along.

Naraku, after all, had significant experience at manipulating people… especially if he planned on betraying them later on.

* * *

"Oh, Sango! The baby kicking!"

The two males watched with fond smiles on their faces as the pregnant brunette waddled over to the equally pregnant ravenette, whose feet were soaking in the river.

"Ah, how long has it been since we've been able to relax like this?" sighed Miroku as he perched on a nearby rock, his monk's staff leaning on his shoulder. He divided his attention between his three children (the twins were playing Slayer with Shippo, who was currently taking a break from his Kitsune studies, while their little brother just clapped his hands gleefully at his sisters' antics) and his wife's rear end as she sat down next to Kagome and placed her feet back in the water as well.

As the two women squealed with joy when the baby kicked once more, Inuyasha hmph'ed from then remarked, "Don't get too comfy, Miroku. According to Kagome, that girl that's supposed to be helping Sesshomaru out is due to be here any day now."

Swiveling his head towards his hanyou friend, who was standing next to the rock with his hands tucked in his sleeves, the monk asked, "Speaking of this girl… did Kagome happen to mention what she looked—" He stopped himself when he felt the waves of anger radiating from his wife.

"_Monk_," Sango growled as she glared at her husband, "is there a particular reason why I'm sensing lecherous thoughts from you?"

Laughing with practiced ease, Miroku raised his hands in surrender as he once again attempted to flatter his wife (who, during this particular pregnancy, had an even more volatile temper than normal… probably due to the fact that their unborn child had power of its own, although it was still too soon to tell if it was reiki or ordinary holy power. Either way, Miroku was happy that at least one of his children would inherit his spiritual powers) with placating tones. "Ah, my lovely Sango, you know that I only have eyes for your _lovely_ assets, especially when you enhance them by bending—"

The former slayer took it upon herself to test her aim by launching a decent-sized rock at her perverted husband's head.

"Wow, Sango, you really got him good that time!" commented Shippo, having freed himself momentarily from the enthusiastic twins.

As Kagome giggled and Inuyasha snickered, Miroku's leg twitched as he lay on his back behind the rock, a large lump developing on his head.

Miroku, having developed a certain immunity to concussions thanks to the many blows delivered to his head courtesy of the Sango Express over the years, opened his mouth to (once again) lament on his fate. However, before he could do so a large amount of energy suddenly _surged_ into the area. Everyone but the three youngest children gasped as they felt it, even Sango who was able to feel it thanks to her future baby.

"Inuyasha…" Kagome said softly as she glanced towards her mate.

"That's gotta be that Hinata you told us about," he finished. "Want me to go get her?"

Nodding, the priestess replied, "Would you please? I'm not sure what condition she'll be in, so she may need fast transport to the village. Kaede and Rin should be able to handle things until I can get there."

"On it," he responded. As he started to rush towards the well, his voice called out, "Miroku, would you mind taking everyone back to the village?"

Standing up and brushing his robes off, the monk nodded as he called back, "On it, old friend." Grabbing his staff, he walked over to the two women to help them stand and waved the children over.

"Shall we?"

* * *

Hinata was terrified. What the heck was happening to her?

She searched the area, looking for a way out. She needed to get back to help Kiba, Akamaru, and Neji… she needed to help _Naruto_! Alas, however, the more she searched the more she found the same thing: nothing but blue space.

Suddenly, one, then _two_ powerful presences made themselves felt. Hinata's spine stiffened, however she ignored the twinge of pain that came with it. Activating her Byakugan, she tried to pinpoint their location. Surprisingly, she had no such luck.

"Hinata…" whispered a female's voice. Hinata was surprised at how _gentle_ this voice was. Tears formed as she was reminded of someone who had been lost to her for a long time. Could it be…?

"Mother?" she whispered hopefully.

A man's voice suddenly chuckled. "No, little one," he gently chided. Hinata forced her tears back as the tiny bit of hope that had formed died in her chest. She had so wanted to talk to her mother again…

"Hinata," the female voice began once more, "an enemy of our world is about to descend onto yours."

Huh? Were these voices… from another _world_? What was going on?

The male voice took over from his counterpart as he continued, "Help the Western Lord defend his lands, and in the process learn how to fight the spider."

Western Lord? _Spider_?

"Only then will you be returned to your world," finished the two voices, their voices in surprising harmony.

Hinata felt a small kernel of panic as she felt the two presences start to fade away.

"Wait! What's going on?" she called out.

"We will speak to you more later, little one…" replied the male voice.

The female voice added, "For now, though, trust the ones that you will meet soon. The miko, in particular, will be able to explain."

Miko? Before Hinata could ask more, however, the two presences faded away, and her back gently touched the bottom of the well. Huh, she hadn't noticed that the blue space had disappeared… and this wasn't the same well she had fallen down in.

_That_ well had been old and rotting. _This_ well, while still old, was in surprisingly good shape with large vines coating one of the walls. Slowly standing up while wincing as her back stung slightly, Hinata studied the vines. They looked sturdy enough to climb… testing their strength, Hinata was surprised to see that indeed, they were climbable.

"_An enemy of our world is about to descend onto yours… only then will you be returned to your world…_" The words of the two presences once again rang through her head.

Well, then… time to see if she really was in a new world, or if the whole thing was just some kind of elaborate genjutsu. First things first… get out of the well. Taking care to not aggravate her back any more than she had to, Hinata slowly used the vines to escape the well. Once her head crested over the top, her jaw dropped as she saw the surrounding area.

She had never seen such a peaceful clearing before, not even in the Hyuuga family gardens. And from the looks of it, it was a natural clearing to boot, if the imperfect circle was anything to go by.

As she climbed the rest of the way out and swung her legs over, Hinata mused that if it was, indeed, the work of a genjutsu then the caster definitely knew how to capture Nature's true beauty. With the butterflies gently flitting around and the tall majestic trees circling the clearing… she wished that this beautiful clearing _wasn't_ some genjutsu. It would be a shame to have it fade…

"Oi!" came a voice.

Grabbing a kunai and spinning, Hinata thought she would be prepared for anything thrown at her. She was prepared for the golden-eyed, white-haired teenager that looked to be the same age as Neji dropping out of the trees. Even though they were a slight surprise, she was even prepared for the old-fashioned red clothes he wore, and of the katana stuck in the obi.

She _wasn't_ prepared, however, for the dog ears that were perched on the top of his head, dog ears that were _functional_ if their swiveling was any indication.

"You Hinata Hyuuga?" demanded the teenager, folding his arms into his sleeves.

He knew her name. The dog-eared teenager, whom she had never before seen in her life, _knew her name_.

It was too much for the poor kunoichi. This shock, combined with her slight chakra exhaustion and the pain that still coursed through her back, was enough to make Hinata faint.

And she thought she was finally done with fainting, too…

* * *

A/N: Yes, 'tis an actual update! And Hinata's finally made it to Feudal Japan! To be honest, I was planning on having the Inutachi scene taking place in Kagome and Inuyasha's hut... however, they had a better idea. Next up, Hinata learns more details on what's going on... and Sesshomaru finally makes an appearance!

Oh, and I'm going to say this now: While I will use Japanese terms to describe youkai, hanyou, miko, and anything else regarding those three categories (like the species of youkai), I WILL NOT use Japanese suffixes (for example, Sesshomaru WILL be called Lord Sesshomaru instead of Sesshomaru-sama). Why? Because I don't speak the Japanese language, and I'd rather not tick off anybody who does by completely butchering it. I will also (mostly) use the English versions of the various abilities of the Naruto world, as well.


End file.
